


Meeting

by chrismouse



Category: OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes
Genre: Family Issues, Happy Ending, Human AU, i wrote this at 12:30 am don't judge it too harshly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-29
Updated: 2017-10-29
Packaged: 2019-01-26 00:14:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12544488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chrismouse/pseuds/chrismouse
Summary: When Ernesto has problems with how his father is treating his siblings, he decides to take matters into his own hands.





	Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> In case you aren't here from the server I wrote this for, the human au is one I've created. In this particular story, Ernesto is 25, Darrell is 14, Shannon is 13, Raymond is 12 and Jethro is 5. Mikayla hasn't been adopted yet. None of Boxman's kids are biologically related to him. That's enough exposition for now.

From: E. Boxman   
To: L. Boxman  
Subject: Meeting   
Hello,  
If you're free this afternoon, I'd appreciate it if we could meet to talk something over. It's rather an urgent matter, so the sooner the better.  
\- E

From: L. Boxman  
To: E. Boxman   
Ernesto,  
You know very well that I'm free this afternoon. We'll meet at 2:30.   
Dad

"We need to talk."

Boxman tensed up instinctively upon hearing those words. He'd only just stepped into the room, and already his oldest son was showing no signs that this meeting was going to be pleasant.

"What about?" Boxman faked nonchalance- he'd found it was a good way to stay on top in conversation. Ernesto, however, didn't seem to buy it.

"We need to talk," he repeated, "about the way you've been treating my siblings."

Well, this was certainly the last thing Boxman had expected. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"With all due respect, I figured you wouldn't. But the thing is, your children need more from you than what you're giving them now."

"What exactly do you mean by that?" Boxman said suspiciously, taking a seat beside his son.

Ernesto sighed. "Let's just start off with the oldest and go from there... Darrell. He looks up to you so much, but you don't pay attention to him, especially compared to his younger siblings. Also, have you noticed that he and Shannon have been fighting more than usual lately?"

"That's just sibling rivalry, that's normal," Boxman protested.

"They've always been so close, only fighting once in a while," Ernesto pointed out, "but I've noticed you seem to almost make them compete for your attention and affection lately. Whether consciously or not, you do. And speaking of Shannon..."

Boxman indignantly tried to respond, but Ernesto clearly wasn't stopping any time soon.

"You treat Shannon better than her brothers, but she still acts out. She's been sent to detention twice in the past semester, and you never even talked to her about it."

"I figured she wouldn't want to tell me about whatever happened."

"You could at least make an attempt, and for the record, when I talked to her she was aggressively upset."

"When _you_ -?"

"Raymond!" Ernesto went on. "No matter how much that child tries, he can't get along with his older siblings and you've let that be."

"He only came into the family a few months ago," Boxman objected. "You can't expect them to like him right away."

"They see him as a threat."

"He's twelve years old, what kind of threat could he possibly pose?"

"More competition for time with _you_ , which they hardly get anyway."

Boxman stared at him with narrowed eyes. 

"There's more, isn't there?" he said after a long pause.

"Yes... Jethro." Ernesto sighed. "You hardly pay attention to him."

"You know, I've about had it," Boxman spoke up suddenly. "I have to run this company and parent five children on my own. Do you think that's easy, Ernesto?"

Ernesto looked as though he'd just tasted something extremely bitter. "Parent them on your own? At this point I'm more of a surrogate father than a brother to the other four!"

Boxman flinched. "That's not true."

"Oh, no? When Darrell gets bullied at high school, who comforts him? When Shannon is having trouble with schoolwork, who helps her? Raymond misses his old bedroom from his previous house, but who bothered to ask him why he wasn't sleeping at night?" 

Ernesto's face was flushed, and he was speaking with a heated tone Boxman had only heard a handful of times. His son took two deep breaths, and began again.

"Do you remember when the special education teacher at Jethro's elementary school called you for a conference, and you couldn't make it so you sent me?"

Boxman nodded slowly.

"When I walked in, she assumed I was you, and-" Ernesto's eyes went to the floor. "I honestly didn't know what to say. I think that was the moment when I realized... you're really only doing the bare minimum for us."

"Ernesto-"

"Please." Ernesto continued to stare at the floor. "Let me finish."

He paused.

"Father... you've always expected excellence from your children. How can we measure up to your standards if you can't do the same for us? I don't expect you to be perfect, but I really wish you'd put more consideration into our lives."

Ernesto stood up from his chair and walked towards the door, but just before he got there he turned back to look at his father.

"Please, think about what I said, all right?"

He left, leaving Boxman alone with his thoughts.

. . .

The next morning, Boxman knocked at the door of Ernesto's office. 

"One moment, please!" 

Ernesto opened the door.

"Yes, father?"

Boxman looked off to the side, playing with his fingers. "Ah- yes-"

He coughed, reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a printed sheet of paper.

"'After careful consideration, I have-' oh, curse it all," Boxman said, crumpling the script.

"Ernesto, I've been thinking about what you said, and honestly..." 

He took a deep breath. This was going to take a lot of effort for him to say.

"You're right. I've been too distant lately, and I've been so deeply into these obsessions of mine that I've been neglecting my family."

There. He'd said it. He wasn't sure if he felt better or worse for admitting it.

"Ernesto, I... I'm sorry for my actions. I don't know what to do now to fix this..."

Ernesto put his hand softly on his father's shoulder. "You don't have to do it alone."

"Thank you, son. For everything."


End file.
